Roskilde University

Faculty Member, Communication, Business and Information Technologies

Professor

About

I have since 2004 been a professor in communication at Roskilde University. My educational background is an MA in cultural sociology (1989) and a Ph.D in communication (1995). I was previously an assistant professor (1996-1999) and associate professor (1999-2004) at University of Copenhagen. From 1994-1996 I served as a junior professional officer for UNDP in Asunción, Paraguay. My first job was as a information and communication officer in the Danish NGO Danchurchaid (1990-1993).

Currently, I direct the Research Programme ‘People Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa’ (2009-2013) (see: http://mediea.ruc.dk/ ) and I am founding co-director of the bi-national research centre ‘Orecomm – A Communication and Glocal Change Consortium’ (see: http://orecomm.net). Furthermore, I currently direct a research network between Danish and Brazilian researchers working on media, citizen and government relations. From 2009-2011 I directed the Danish/Nordic research network ‘Glocal NOMAD’ = Network on Media and Development, see: http://glocalnomad.net/

Since I gained my PhD in 1995 I have lectured, conducted research, been visiting scholar or undertaken consultancy in more than 25 countries. I have written or edited 12 books and published some 50+ research articles in international books and journals.

I was UNESCO Chair of Communication at Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain for one semester in 2003.

Over the years my research has evolved around 4-5 intersecting research areas: a) exploring the relation between media, communication, citizen empowerment and social change; b) health communication, in particular HIV/AIDS prevention; c) media and globalization; d) storytelling, tv-fiction (telenovelas) and their strategic use to articulate social change (edutainment).

Previous and current research projects and programmes illustrate my research interests:
• 2009-2013: ‘Peoples Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa, (Principal Investigator, team of 2 Danish and 4 international researchers);
• 2003-2006: Co-editor (with Alfonso Gumucio Dagron) of ‘Communication for Social Change Anthology: Historical and Contemporary Readings’ (includes almost 200 texts from 50 years of history of the field)
• 2001-2005: HIV/AIDS Communication and Prevention in South Africa (Principal Investigator, team of 3 Danish and three international researchers)
• 1999-2001; Globalization, identity and ethnic minority media use in Denmark.
• 1996-1999: Gauchos Going Global – media development, globalization and cultural identity in Southern Brazil, Post-Doc Project.
• 1990-1994: Telenovelas, Culture and Modernity in Brazil, PhD-Project

I have also served as a communications consultant to many development organisations, including DANIDA, USAID, SIDA, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, CFSC Consortium, ADRA and The Panos Institute, covering acticities both in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. This has been mostly related to media and civil society development, media and communication for development issues, and HIV/AIDS communication.

International Research Networks, Policy Work and Expert Committees include: 
2008-2010 - Co-coordinator of IAMCR’s standing working group on ‘Health Communication and Change’; 2002-2008 - founding co-coordinator of IAMCR’s standing working group on HIV/AIDS communication; 2004 -  Member of the International Council, IAMCR; 2005-2007 - Member of the Publications Committee of IAMCR; February-December 2006 - Member of the Scientific Committee, and co-author of background document of the First World Congress on Communication for Development (held in Rome October 2006); 2006-2009 Member of Expert Committee of AIDS Accountability International; September 2005 - Founding member of the University Network on Communication for Social Change, initiated and coordinated by the Communication for Social Change Consortium, USA; 2005-2007. Member, in personal capacity, of DANIDAs Council for International Development; Since 2006 – Member, in personal capacity, of the Council of Danchurchaid (Folkekirkens Nødhjælp); 2002-2004. Participant in Rockfeller Foundation’s meetings on policy development  regarding the emerging field of Communication for Social Change; 2001-2002. Member of Danida's  ‘International Think Tank on HIV/AIDS in support of policy making’, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 2000-2003  Member of the International Advisory Evaluation Board of the South Africa Media NGO ‘Soul City’.

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